Back To Batik

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - While some say Malaysian batik is boring and banal, there are a select few which are original and inspiring. There‘s the distinctive tribal batik motif by Datuk Tom Abang Saufi, Eric Tho‘s bold and bright cotton batik sarongs, and the chic and cheerful colours and patterns of Inai.

The batik creations of ikarrtini by Kartini Illias are equally interesting. Although she does have colourful batik designs, it is her black-and-white range that‘s really classy and modern. In abstract and geometric motifs on kaftans, babydoll dresses, baju kurung and evening wear, Kartini‘s black-and-white batik maintains the craft‘s traditional element, yet has a certain flair that makes it contemporary.

“My designs are catered for today‘s working women,” says the former finance professional-turned-designer.

“I came up with a ready-to-wear line that can take them anywhere, from the office to a kenduri; even to cocktail parties”.

Because of her unique background, Kartini was recently invited by Institut Teknologi Bandung to give a talk at the International Conference on Fine Arts and Design 2009, themed “The shifting from the Traditional to Contemporary Visual Culture”.

“I presented a paper entitled ‘Art from the heart, business by design‘. I spoke about how visual culture has impacted the fashion industry the most. The shifting from traditional to contemporary is most evident in the ikarrtini collection. We employ a traditional batik technique and transform the traditional motifs to a contemporary form to appeal to a larger market. I, myself, went through a personal shift from studying finance to fashion/art. I used what I learned in school and through my experiences and turned it into a business”. Kartini notes that her design principle is rooted in versatility and simplicity.

“Take the kaftan for example. It is cut to flatter most shapes and is suitable for almost any occasion even at the most grandest of events.”

The abstract prints and patterns she‘s done create the illusion of height and slimness. Inspired by nature, some of the motifs resemble peacock‘s feathers, zebra stripes and ocean waves.

It comes as no surprise why her creations, which were sold at Harrods in London recently during a short-term Malaysian arts and craft fair recently, was an instant hit.

“We managed to sell a lot of items on the first day, especially batik shawls, sarongs and kaftans. The Arabs loved the beaded batik pieces, while the Europeans preferred the understated ones”.

Kartini says her biggest customers at her boutiques in Kuala Lumpur are from the Middle East, followed by Americans and Italians.

She has her own team of batik artisans, some of whom have been with her for 18 years.

“We‘re like family and we understand each other very well. We meet every week to discuss design and production,” she says.

Among other things, they brainstorm on how to come up with batik designs that are intricate and difficult to copy. Not a hard task for three of Kartini‘s artists, who were trained by batik guru Wan Nong Abdul Rahman Ahmad.

The second of three siblings, Kartini has always admired her elder sister‘s excellence in art. It was only when she was in the US doing her MBA that she discovered that she, too, was blessed with the same artistic talents. She took up ceramics and fine drawing, and came out tops in both classes.

Upon her return from the States, she worked in a number of financial institutions but continued to pursue art by enrolling herself in art classes. She then started to build a network of artisan friends. She got her calling when she met the late Wan Nong, who introduced her to the craft. Since that chance meeting, batik became her passion. In 1990, she left the comfort and security of the corporate world to realise her dream.

Her ultimate aim is to make ikarrtini an international brand. In September, ikarrtini will be in Paris for the Who‘s Next 2009, a prèt-a- porter trade exhibition. Several other Malaysian labels will also be involved. Their participation is organised by Kraftangan Malaysia and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade). Dazman Manan

Source: http://www.nst.com.my (29 June 2009)

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